Safe Again
by Twinnie
Summary: Endor. After the Emperor's death and before the Death Star explosion, Vader and Luke are rescued by a small Imperial team. Who decide that the safest place for them to go is none other than Emperor Palpatine's home-planet… Naboo. Incomplete
1. Prologue

Summary :

Endor. After the Emperor's death and before the Death Star explosion, Vader and Luke are rescued by a small Imperial team. Who decide that the safest place for them to go is none other than Emperor Palpatine's home-planet… Naboo. Meanwhile, Luke's father has a decision to take : would he rather remain Darth Vader, or try and become Anakin Skywalker again ?

A/N :

English is not my mother tongue, so the style of this fic may be clumsy and riddled with mistakes… Sorry! If anyone is interested in beta-reading, please let me know =)

This fic is dedicated to Queengodess, without whom it would probably not be posted here today. You don't like the story, you blame her =D j/k Loca, tack.

_01/19/09: _This story, while still discontinued, is currently being revised. I'm not a teenager anymore, and I know now I'd never speak to my boss the way some of my original characters did when talking to Vader, when the only thing I'm facing is a blame, not a choking. The constant switching from one point of view to another makes the story confusing, so this has to be changed; and my English has also improved enough to write the kind of elaborated speech the Imperials must have been using when in formal situations. Maybe feeling this story is less immature will give me the incentive needed to start writing it again, maybe not. Time will tell...

**_Prologue_**

It was unbearable. The sight of his son screaming and convulsing was more than he could stand. And the Emperor was there, grinning evily, obviously relishing Luke's pain.

It was wrong. Giving pain to people so that he could obtain what he desired was one thing, but giving pain for the mere sake of hearing someone screaming… It _felt_wrong. If he stopped and thought about it for a while, he'd realize that Palpatine's actions were not different from his own of the past twenty-three years. He was a monster.

He was alternately looking at his son and at his son's torturer. One was his master, his mentor, the man he'd been loyal to for more than half his life. The other was a fruit fallen from the other half of his life, a child of another time. Padmé's child.

The decision was a tough one. Order, or passion ? What would his life be if he acknowledged the idea that he'd been no more than an evil monster for the past twenty years ?

'Father, please !'

Luke was screaming and begging. Vader could not decide if he was holding out his hand for his father to take, or just out of a reflex reaction to the pain. But why would he be calling his father ? Vader had never done anything for him but bring him pain.

Pain. He could feel Luke's pain within each one of his bones, just the way he'd felt Luke's pain in Cloud City. And just the way he'd felt Princess Leia's pain on the first Death Star, now that he thought about it. But at the time, he had… enjoyed the feeling. Leia would kill him if she heard he had enjoyed Luke's pain.

Wait a minute. _Leia_was his daughter ? As in the Alderaani princess ? The one that acted so much like Padmé ?

He glanced one last time at the Emperor, but his decision had been taken. He could not, he _would not_ let his children be destroyed. For one thing, they brought hope to the Galaxy. But what made his decision so definitive was that they were all that was left of Padmé.

A last look at a screaming Luke strengthened his will. He acted all of a sudden. He turned away abruptly towards the Emperor, seized the Sith, and held him high above his head.

Pain. The pain he felt was not Luke's anymore, but his own, and he could not block it in his weakened state. It felt like a sand storm, quick, powerful, destructive. His whole body protested when the blue lightening hit his armor and breather. He groaned, unable as he was to scream anymore. He focused on the task at hand, on the abyss right before him, the shaft where the Galactic Emperor would soon meet his death. _It's a shame he won't suffer as much as his victims have,_Vader mused. Had he had the time and power needed, he'd have made the despot scream his guts out. And he did think that Palpatine deserved as much.

As it happened, this project would never be realized. Darth Vader straightened as much as he could, and released his master in the endless pit. The despot fell, bolts of blue light still escaping his fingers, all the while sending Vader all his hate through the Force. If curses could kill, the Death Star would have blown up at that very moment.

The explosion that followed hypnotized him. A wind of pure darkness blew past him, engulfing him an instant in its hate and despair. He was shocked. All the more so shocked as none of those feelings were alien to him. He'd felt them all along those past twenty-three years. The Dark Side… It was himself.

Drained, scared, and confused, he suddenly wished for darkness to take him as well. He briefly considered jumping down after the Emperor, then he heard something moving behind him. Luke ! His son could move ! The boy would be okay…

Luke's hands drove him away from the pit. Vader fell back on the floor by his son's side, squeezing the boy's hand softly when it slid in his own. Unable to find the words to express his feelings, he shyly touched Luke's mind through the Force, asking him how he was, showing how himself felt. _You've got to get out of here, Luke._ The boy opened up after that, expressing his gratitude, but also his pain and exhaustion. He felt the hand in his release its feeble grasp, heard the soft thump on the floor, and felt his son's thoughts shut off.

Luke had fainted.


	2. Chapter 1: DS II

A/N :

'lo guys ! Sorry this took so long, but I'm French, and have been too busy complaining about the results of the 1st round of our Presidential Elections to think about posting. *snort* Who knew that democracy nowadays is the choice to vote for a thief over a fascist?

Anyway, here is the first chapter. Thanks to all the readers and reviewers! The following chapter was written ages ago (about 13 months ago, to be precise ;), and was not beta-read since I felt a bit ill-at-ease about asking some nice reviewer to beta-read it so late after she offered to… Sorry ! I corrected some of the most obvious mistakes, but there must be quite a couple of them left.

Disclaimer :

GL's characters, GL's universe. Sagan is mine, and Devs belongs to the Empire (the idiot :-| ). Is that disclaimer clear enough ?

****

Safe Again : Chapter 1

D.S. II

Captain Shon Devs was not a happy man. He had always been proud to claim he belonged to the Empire, because its army was great and ordered. Ordered! It was everything but ordered now. Ever since the shields had been blown up, men had started panicking. Then there had been explosions, and the alarm bells had rung – and soon the situation had been completely out of hands. The corridors were overwhelmed with running people, some of them holding a package, some others pushing everybody to be the first to leave. To be assured that, when they reached the hangar bay, there would still be a TIE Fighter, a shuttle, anything to fly them out of the doomed battle station.

The Death Star. The name was obsolete now;_ it should be the Dead Star_, Devs mused. Devs and his team were trying to make their way through the running crowd. It was difficult, since they were heading towards a place that was mainly being evacuated. Devs disapproved flatly the evacuation order. The soldiers of the Empire were brave men, and they should die as such. However, there was nothing to be done against those screaming bells now. And even Devs was realistic enough to realise that the men would have fled even without the bells.

Fear. The men were afraid. The soldiers of the Empire were never afraid –- or so Devs had thought. The Empire being beaten up by the Rebellion was against anything Devs could have imagined, but the Imperial soldiers being afraid was one of the few things he had considered as being completely impossible. That -– along with the Emperor's death.

Shone Devs had tried once to imagine what the Empire would be without Emperor Palpatine. He had given up very quickly, coming to the conclusion that without Palpatine, there would be no Empire at all. In fact, he had refused to acknowledge the awful thought that had crossed his mind. The thought that, if anywthing were to happen to his Emperor, Darth Vader would be the next ruler of the Galaxy.

The thought was disgusting. The man was not even human, Devs had heard. A friend of his from the Intelligence had once had access to Vader's 'black-deathed' file, and discovered that there was something abnormal in his blood. Only half-human, the tests had revealed. Devs was not one to obey a piece of non-human. The main reason why he had asked to be transferred to the Death Star was because it meant he would not have to follow any of Vader's orders. The Death Star was the only part of the fleet that was not under Vader's command. Devs could not imagine what his life would be after the Death Star was destroyed.

'Look, Sir! The Royal Guards have left!'

Lost in his thoughts, Devs had not realized that he and his team had almost reached the throne room, their destination. They had come to bring the Empror to safety. It just seemed that they were too late. The Royal Guards had already taken care of the Emperor. Relief flooded through Devs. 'Let's check this room while we're here anyway.'

The young lieutenant, the one who had awoken Devs from his reverie, nodded. Weis Sagan had been Devs' second-in-command for less than two months, and the two men already hated each other passionately. Sagan was not as an observer of the Order as Devs was, and his loyalties were doubtful. Devs had had to point his blaster on Sagan's head to convince him to bring the team and check on the Emperor. He even highly suspected the young man had accepted to come and bring the troops because _Vader_ had been reported to be with the Emperor.

Sagan and his four men followed Devs in the elevator. All of them were nervous; they were afraid that the Emperor would still be there and very displeased by their apparition. The Emperor was not exactly well-known for his indulgence.

Those five men were not really afraid of not reaching the hangar bay in time. They didn't want to die, no. Most of them had families they did not want to leave. But they had accepted their fate. Ever since Devs had put his blaster on Sagan's head, they had understood that they had no way out of this 'mission'.

The doors opened. There was no Royal Guard inside the room either. Whatever had happened, the Emperor wasn't there anymore. Though a repetitive sound could be heard. It had nothing to do with the sounds of the explosions, it was something else… A breather. Lord Vader was somewhere in this room.

'Let's get back, there's nothing here.'

Sagan glared angrily at Devs. The Captain had heard Vader's breather as well, Sagan just knew it. He had also heard that the sound was different from the usual one. This might explain why Vader could not be seen. Sagan and three of the men started climbing up the stairs. The one named Sperks remained downstairs with Devs.

They saw him before they reached the end of the stairs. He was lying on the floor, a young man lying by his side. His right hand had been cut off, and some of its electronics components could be seen. He did not move when the four men went up, nor did the young man. The breather sounded even weaker than it did from the elevator doors. The men were startled when they realised Vader was holding the boy's hand in his own.

'Lord Vader? Can you hear me?'

The man blinked slowly under his mask. Ever since Luke had fainted, he had tried to concentrate and gather enough strength to bring his son out of there. And ever since he had tried, he had failed. He had held Luke's hand in his own, trying to wake him up so he could leave this doomed place, but Luke wouldn't wake up; his father was afraid that he never would. Luke deserved to live. The more he thought about his son, the more he felt ashamed of himself. He kept trying to gather his strength, staring at the ceiling, oblivious to his surroundings.

'My Lord ?'

The man lying on the floor thought that there was no use ignoring the voice to keep his strength. He would never get Luke out of there by himself anyway. He focused on the four men, noticing in the back of his mind that there were two other men down the stairs.

'What are you doing here, Lieutenant?' he asked the closer man tiredly. The Lieutenant did not answer. He and another man helped Vader to his feet. Meanwhile, the two men downstairs had come to witness the scene.

'What of this one? Skywalker, isn't he? I think he should stay…'

'No.' He closed his eyes behind the mask. He hadn't felt the answer coming. The words had got out of himself, a mere impulse he had obeyed. An impulse… Anakin had been an impulsive one. Did that mean anything?

He shook his head. He was no longer Darth Vader, that was for sure. Somehow he still was, and Vader would always be a part of him, but he did not think the same way anymore. He wasn't led by the Dark Side, but by his own feelings. Like _before_. Still these feelings were what had driven him to the Dark Side.

Would trying to become Anakin again be safe?

He focused back on the Captain. He didn't need to listen to him to know what he was saying: he wanted Luke to die on the Death Star. And he insisted a lot. The former Jedi felt the man did not respect him at all.

'Do not discuss, Captain,' he hissed in a tired but very Vader-like voice. He felt it was the only way to save Luke. Play the game; you're a Sith Lord.

It worked. With two men leading the way, two men helping Vader and the other two carrying Luke, they made their way down to the elevator. Once they were out, the black-clad man motioned for the two soldiers carrying Luke to go before him. He needed to see with his own eyes that his son was still alive. Having him at eyesight during the way through the Death Star corridors was a good start.

They stumbled several times along the corridors. Vader was weak; the boy was a dead weight. Devs was angry. The team could have walked much more quickly without the two of them. He was all the more so angry as he felt the Emperor had left the men behind on purpose. He held no doubt that Vader was a traitor. As for the other man, he was a Rebel. Devs could not understand why the Emperor had had them with him in the first place. He did not have to understand, though. His Emperor must have had his reasons.

He was weakening; he felt he was dying. He did not want to die yet, no. He had to see that his son was safe before. Luke would not be safe with those men if Vader died. Some of them would consider their leader had entrusted them with the young man, but their Captain would let him die; he had already wanted to leave the two Jedi on the doomed Death Star. Despite his weariness, the tall man could feel the Captain broadcasting his lethal thoughts. He had the feeling that at least _he_ deserved this hate and death, but his son did not. And Devs' reasons for hating were unfair. Just as the Emperor's had been. He felt deeply guilty he had needed so much time to come to realise that. So much time, and almost his son's life.

An explosion made the Death Star shake and he almost fell to the floor. But it was no time for being weak. They had at last reached the bay. There were still a couple of avaible shuttles, but for how long? Most of the men had not evacuated yet. _They are going to die because of the Empire. Oh Padmé, how I was wrong!_

'Take this one.'

The team ran to the shuttle Vader had nodded at. Even Devs felt the Dark Lord knew what he was talking about. Every explosion was stronger than the previous one. They had no time to waste. That was why Devs said nothing when he noticed the shuttle wore the Emperor's seal.

Vader was a damned traitor.

He was still under the shock of the Emperor's disappearance when the Death Star exploded.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 2: Flight

AN: Hi again everybody ! Thanks for being back =) For those who were scared about spoilers : this fic is completely spoiler-free, until I say otherwise. That is : not any time before May 17. And Episode III spoilers are not an option before 2005.

I've realised the reviews and questions didn't get any answer last time, so here it goes :

Big thanks to Renee, Jules, Phœnix, LadyZ(one of Jix's blondies, aren't you ? ;) , Blind Jedi and everybody else =)

Jelp and Moyima, thanks a bunch too. I'm kinda unsure about my English (something to do with having a British teacher who manages to find an average of 3 mistakes in a grammatically perfect sentence, and therefore gives very bad marks =( ) so your words mean a lot to me =) Moyima, are you still here ? Can I still ask you to beta-read ?

Kitt:You got it, I'm a cruel girl *evil grin* And unfortunately (for you), a very slow writer... Not as slow as Llarian (bwaaah ! Want more of her fic !!!) but still quite slow.

Feather: Thanks =) Hope you won't get disappointed by the plot...

Panther7:Humm... Wanna kill me ? Do you realize that, if you actually kill me, you'll never know the end ? [face_deadpan]

Moopz:Waw ! You're one of my favorite authors, having you as a reader is an honor *blushes hard* The Other Sideis a fantastic fic, you know... So very touching :_|

Queengodess: I know what you did last summer [face_deadpan] Still have that picture of you with a knife in each hand, by the way =D

JD1:You'll know about Padmé very soon... Following chapter, actually. BUT if I get about... let's say, 1982 reviews asking for her to be alive, then I might re-consider the situation *grin* (why 1982, may you ask ? Ahaah... Because it's too high a number, of course ! And plenty of wonderful things happened in 1982... ET, birth of many of my friends, birth of a fantastic girl known as Twinnie on the net, year before RotJ, etc, etc... ;-)

Lanna:Thanks =) Don't worry about the spoilers, I don't know any ! Actually discovered things about AotC when reading The Time. Spoilers are evil !

Thanks again everybody =)

**Safe Again:** **Chapter 2**

**Flight**

'We will reach Naboo within the next two hours, My Lord.'

'Naboo?' Vader's blue eyes popped wide open. Sagan would swear there was fear in those eyes, but he knew better than stating that out loud. 'Why Naboo?'

Vader screwed his eyes; he had 'heard' that.

'Skywalker needs to get more medical care than this shuttle can provide, Lord Vader; and so do you. And you must understand that, now that the Emperor is rumoured to be dead,' Sagan paused after those words. '…an Imperial shuttle might not be welcome everywhere. It is very likely to be most unwelcome on the closest planets, actually. Captain Devs reckons that Emperor Palpatine's home-world will welcome us, though. I think… he even expects the Emperor will be there.'

'The Emperor won't be anywhere anymore,' was the mumbled answer. Vader had not even been aware he had been speaking out loud until he heard his own, estranged voice.

'But one cannot live without hope, My Lord.'

Vader smiled bitterly and closed his blue eyes. It was very strange, Sagan thought. As Vader's breather only half-worked, they had taken his helmet and mask off, and given him a pure oxygen mask. Now that the Dark Lord's scarred face was exposed, Sagan no longer saw Darth Vader lying on the cot. What he could see was a man. And he could see his eyes, light blue eyes that hid nothing of the turmoil of his feelings. Very strange. Sagan could only hope the Dark Lord would not kill him for having witnessed his moment of weakness once they had reached Naboo.

Vader opened his eyes and turned weakly his head towards Luke's limp form. His son still hadn't woken up yet, and he was afraid that the boy had slid into a coma. However they could not tell; the shuttle medical equipement was not precise enough. Would the Naboo help him? Would they see him as Padmé's son, or as his?

'You don't think the Naboo appreciate the Empire, do you?' Sagan asked suddenly.

Vader gave a slight smirk. 'I don't think _you _appreciate the Empire, Lieutenant. Or do you?'

Sagan stared. He had heard the rumours of course - Lord Vader could read minds - but he had never taken them very seriously. He had been but a small child when the Jedi Purges had taken place, and therefore had no memory whatsoever of the so-called supernatural powers of those beings. Witnessing them first-hand, so many years later, and in a situation where the smallest slip could cost him his life, was not exactly a pleasant situation. He gulped and answered.

'I am on principle opposed to slavery.'

Vader seemed to flinch. The Lieutenant saw the reaction and decided to take his chance. Other rumours claimed that the Dark Lord appreciated subalterns who spoke their minds, as opposed to those who followed the procedures blindly. Of course, those whose reasoning displeased Vader were not speaking their minds for very long, but maybe by being his own person, as opposed to one of the weak-minded Vader was supposed to despise, could Sagan get another chance at keeping his life. 'I heard that you were opposed to slavery yourself,' he started, not sure exactly where he has heading but now convinced he needed to keep talking. 'I hope this will be one of the new changes within your new Empire. That, and educating the populations about respecting non-humans.' He had spoken far too much than he should have. A thought came back to the front of his mind, yet another rumour - Vader was actually only half-human. If that were true, and Vader did not want anyone to know... Or if that was wrong, and the Lord felt insulted... What was he doing, playing his future on a bunch of rumours?

'What makes you think I am half non-human?'

The mind-reading, again. Sagan almost swore, then decided to direct Vader's would-be anger somewhere else. When cornered, blame someone else. He was usually not one to take the coward's way out, but he has the feeling his life was threatened enough to resort to desperate measures. 'That's the reason why Captain Devs appears to distrust you, My Lord.'

Vader just shrugged. 'He can read my file and he still heads for Naboo. Must have suicidal tendencies.' He turned his back to Sagan, making clear that the conversation was over. The young man saluted before he took his leave, grateful his impudent words had not led him to his downfall... yet.

'Lieutnant…'

Sagan stopped on the threshold. His sense of danger came back ten-fold. He turned around and faced Vader again, taking in a deep breath to keep his voice from shaking. 'My Lord?'

'This boy is the son of a late Naboo queen. Make sure that Devs knows he'd better be alive when we reach Theed.'

Sagan nodded briefly, saluted again, and left as fast as he dared to. Only once he had reached the safety of the cockpit did Vader's implication that he had something to do with the Naboo register to his mind. Once away from the cabin and his deadly inhabitant, Sagan's curiousity got stronger than his fear, and he decided to figure out a way to ask Devs what exactly he knew about Darth Vader.

**

'Imperial Shuttle IP485-259, requires permission to land. We have two injured men on board, in need of some urgent medical attention.'

Rem, the co-pilot, could feel Vader looming behind him, and that didn't make him feel any better.

'Imperial shuttle, this is the Sunrise. You don't have the permission to land. If you insist, we will have to open fire.'

He knew that voice… Even after all those years, he could recognise it. Vader motioned for the co-pilot to leave his seat and took his place.

'Greetings, Captain Olié. Luke Skywalker is on board. He is one of the injured men that were mentioned.'

A pause on the other ship. On the shuttle, the soldiers exchanged startled glances.

'As long as he is on an Imperial shuttle, I don't care.'

Anakin insisted. If politeness was not enough, then perhaps appealing to the older man's feelings would work out. 'He is in coma, Ric.'

A pause on the other side. The Force brought to Luke's father a wave on surprise emanating from the Naboo ship. Before long it was replaced with cold determination. 'Too bad. Then I expect you'll just have to look for an apprentice somewhere else is he doesn't make it. My Lord.'

The mockery he could hear made Vader explode. 'Damnit Olié, if I just wanted an apprentice, I would not be wasting my time right now but hunting down his sister!'

The communication was cut off. Vader guessed Olié was asking for orders. When the connection was reestablished, another voice could be heard. A feminine voice, talking with a proud accent.

'There is no way we can allow this shuttle to land on Naboo. The men on board will be tranfered into one of our shuttles, which will head directly for a medical center. You must let all your weapons on your shuttle. If one of you disobeys, we will have no choice but open fire.'

Vader sighed in relief. 'Thank you, Lady Sabé.'

The voice suddenly went colder. 'As for _you_, you are under arrest for high treason. And if anyone sees that face of yours during the festivities, I swear I will personally kill you with my bare hands. Very slowly.'

A small smile almost escaped Anakin, but he kept his voice serious as he answered. 'I expected no less of you. What of the men on board the shuttle?'

'_They_are not under Naboo law. They will be free of their movements, that is until they break a rule on world.'

'And what of Luke?'

'He will be healed.' A pause. 'He doesn't know, does he?'

'About his mother? No, he doesn't.'

He knew that Vader was his father. That was everything Sabé feared to hear. 'Let's make it clear. If anyone is to tell him anything, it will not be you. Copy?'

Anakin smirked. 'And I supposed I will be put under arrest if I refuse to cooperate.'

Sabé's voice got angry. 'I meant: no mental talk. Or whatever you call it. Prepare yourselves to be transferred now. Sunrise, out.'

The shuttle cockpit remained silent until Vader stood to leave. He knew Sabé would never allow him anywhere near Luke, and he wanted to spend some time with his son before that. He came back to his son's bunk and sat down by his bedside, determined to remain there until the arrival of the Naboo.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 3: One's Past

A/N:

Back… At last. Once more, sorry it took so long *sigh* I was highly disappointed in Anakin's personality in AotC, so I kinda stopped liking him so much, and sorta lost my interest for the character… And I wanted to rewrite the fic and change the character of Sabé into Sola, because it would have been much more credible, but I never quite gathered the courage to open my brother's *French* version of the AotC novelization, and… Well, couldn't possibly write the character without reading the book. So, a lot of time was lost for nothing, and Sabé is still Sabé. Please, remember that the next couple of posts were written more that a year ago by a die-hard spoiler-free gal. Couldn't possibly guess that she wouldn't even appear in AotC *sigh*

Now, for the really bad news: I have forgotten the plot. No, really. I remember very well where I'm heading, got a draft of the epilogue and all, but I don't remember the events supposed to occur in the second half of the fic. And of course, the plan I wrote in case something like that happened only includes the *first* half of the story. Which irritates me almost as much as the last words of the 6th season of Buffy (and those words really got me mad, because Spike is my Anakin-rebound, and what the scenarists did to him is just stupid).

Conclusion is, the fic won't be finished before quite some time. But it *will* be finished, I promise! Probably not soon at all, but it will.

****

Safe Again: Chapter 3

Meeting One's Past

Sabé was fuming. How _dared_ he to come back? The bastard was responsible for the slaughter of thousands of people, among them Padmé; he had betrayed his friends and killed Obi-Wan –- and now he was back and asking for help! How _dared_ he?

She had really wished Vader had been on the Death Star when it had exploded. The feelings she nurtured for the man were beyond loathing, and besides, she sincerely saw his death as a good occurring for the common good of the Galaxy. Now, she just hoped that at least Palpatine had been there. Dealing with Vader's wrath was something she was not looking forward to, but Palpatine's… That was definitely lethal. If the Emperor ever learnt that the Naboo had been celebrating his supposed death… He would not have the world blown up, no –- he cared too much about what people would say if he was to destroy his own home-planet –- but he would make them pay a very high price. She shivered.

Now, Vader would not be there if his master was still alive, would he? That had to mean something had really happened to the former Naboo senator. Humpf. The only way to get sure of it was to ask Vader.

She had received a call effectively announcing that the shuttle had landed, and that Vader had been placed under arrest at the hospital. The boy was there as well, being treated for great trauma, but the other Imperials were loose in Theed. She would pay attention to that matter later. For now, she had to talk to Vader. A Vader that was no longer wearing his mask, she had been told. She thanked the Force that no one had recognised Anakin Skywalker yet.

She threw open the door to Vader's room and stormed inside, her glare including the object of her anger as well as the guards and medic present. 'I want to talk to him alone -– now.'

'Lady Sabé…' The medic had a worried frown on his face.

'He can breathe and talk, can't he?'

'But are you sure it is safe –- for you?'

She glared at Vader again and cut off the guard. 'Thank you for your concern, but I strongly believe he is in no position to threaten anyone. Now get out. All of you.'

The men reluctantly left the room and she was left alone with Vader. She came closer to him, and stared at him for a long while. Pale, scarred, with dark circles under his eyes, his face was nothing similar to the one she remembered. His skull was completely bald -– shaved? and a thin oxygen mask was covering his mouth and nose. He really looked nothing like the bright young man Senator Amidala had fallen in love with. Good. No one would recognise him.

'I hope this reassures you,' said a tired voice. She clenched her fists, angry at herself for she had somehow dropped her defenses.

'You mucky, filthy, blasted, mechanical piece of trash! You really _had_ to come back _here_ now?! You walking tin-can, you misshapen…'

'.. treacherous murderer?' Anakin suggested in a dry voice. Sabé tensed.

'I was going to say that one eventually. Why, you monster. You had no right to come back. You…' Her voice broke, and she found herself pacing the room angrily. 'After everything you did, after all these slaughters, all these injustices _you_ committed, you think you can just fly back and ask for help and actually _get what you want_?! Just because Luke is with you? He. Is. No. Hostage. Of. Yours! And Padmé… She loved you, you prick, she really did; and you just dumped her the way you killed all these people: casually! As if they all deserved what you did to them! Who on Kessel do you think you are?'

Was it just an effect of the light, or had Vader actually smiled at her last question?

She resumed talking in a lower, but no less dangerous voice. 'I am going to kill you. You should have died a long time ago. I can't believe someone was actually stupid enough to heal you. They should have let you die before you killed all those people…' Her voice broke. That was the moment Vader chose to open his eyes. Ice blue eyes. Ani's eyes.

'The Emperor had me healed _because _he wanted me to kill, Sabé,' he said quietly.

'Well, you didn't complain, did you?!'

'I didn't.' He sighed, and for the first time, Sabé noticed how sad he looked.

'What is it with you? Your beloved master is at last dead?'

He eyed her curiously. 'He is indeed. You thought he was still alive?'

Sabé snorted. '_You_ are still alive, and that's too bad. Now he isn't, and good riddance. You know, _this_ is the moment when you should join him. Traitor.'

'How is Luke?'

'_Do not change the subject!_'

Had the situation been different, Anakin would have probably laughed. Sabé had always had a strong temper, and once, her tantraums had amused him. Not this time, though. Not when the reason of her anger was that serious, not when her anger blinded her to the point that she was oblivious to love.

'How is my son, Sabé?'

She looked lost. She was breathing frantically, her eyes blurred, her fists clenched tight. Moreover, she was shaking. Anakin reckoned she was at last trying to calm down.

'You were so angry at me that you did not even enquire about his health, did you?' he asked bitterly.

'Now don't you _dare_ telling me what you think what I did was wrong when *_everything_* you did these past twenty years was evil!'

'I did not realise what I was doing was wrong. You, on the other hand, know that losing your temper will not make any good.'

'You didn't know what you were doing was evil? And you seriously expect me to believe that? Just how thick do you think I am?'

'I knew it was evil, but I though it was serving a greater aim, Sabé! I thought that bringing back order was worth all those deaths!'

'Nothing is worth all those deaths, _Darth_. Nothing is worth those tortures and those pains.'

'I know it now.'

'Then now, you tell me: how do you plan to make up for those?'

He sighed deeply. 'I don't plan to. I can't.'

Sabé got even angrier. 'Then what do you want?'

Anakin's eyelids hid his eyes again. 'I want to see Padmé's grave, Sabé. And I want to see that our children are happy.'

That was quite an unexpected answer. One that sounded like Anakin. 'Who are you?' hissed Sabé.

__

Who am I? You tell me.

He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Identity was a concept he felt was above him now. But letting her know that was acting out of weakness; and he wanted no one to think he was weak. Weak people were not respected.

That was Vader thinking again. Vader's ways of thinking and existing had been his for so long that he doubted he would ever be able to change.

'You are a lie. Just die, Vader. Kill yourself. Then, your children shall be happy.'


	5. Interlude

A/N :

Hey there! Sorry, everyone (sorry, Brigantia) but it seems that it _will _be ages before the next chapter is posted; I'm leaving on Tuesday, and of course started packing and doing all-those-things-you-do-before-you-leave-your-place-for-a-month-or-something much too late (I'm going in Ireland! Green landscape, beautiful music, good beer, hopefully pocket books that cost less than €12 each one… *dreamy look*); so anyway, I don't have enough time to type, nor do I have the time to e-mail my friends good_bye, as a matter of fact (sorry Keeloca, will send you a postcard :8}). Hence that shorty-thingy that hasn't much to do with the story instead of the next chapter. Call it an interlude.

Anakin remembers how he was injured. It's not at all an Episode III spoiler; it referes to my fic 'The Way You Chose', and the idea that Anakin might have wanted to kill himself when he realized he was becoming a monster. It will probably help if you have read the other fic first. If you don't want to: in this fic, Anakin goes some place to jump and end his life, but Obi-Wan arrives, and they start having what Anakin thinks will be their last conversation. At some point, Obi-Wan feels the darkness in Anakin, he gets angry, he uses the Dark Side to hit Anakin (kind of the way he did in TPM after Maul injured Qui-Gon); he calms down about the time Anakin starts using the Dark Side in the fight. You can guess the end.

__

Li-chan

, you're right, Sabé's being mean… Sometimes, you're just too angry to think straight, and that's what was happening to her in the past chapter. She has every right to be mad at Anakin, you know? All the more so as she doesn't know he's not so willing to use the Dark Side anymore. That's why she doesn't really pay attention to Luke, too, _Renée_. Woman angry; woman dealing with the biggest problem at hands. Besides, Luke's being with Vader in an Imperial shuttle could lead her to think that Luke has turned to the Dark Side, as well.  
_LadyZ_: I didn't like the AotC Anakin because he was not deep enough, IMHO. That character has a lot of potential that was not explored in the movie. Besides, the few traits of character that were exposed were not so… Well, dunno how to explain it, but that Anakin just felt… flat =(

Leia will appear in the next chapter, as will Han, of course. Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed! You guys are the best.

****

Interlude

**Recollections**

__

It had been a beautiful day. The sun had been shining, the cliff had been just the good height, and he had felt at peace for the very first time in weeks.

The decision had not been an easy one to take, but he had felt it was for the best. Others could go on without him. Life would go on without him. He would not let himself fall.

Then Obi-Wan had come. His friend and he had talked and laughed, and suddenly it was all over. Obi-Wan had guessed. He had attacked, lost his temper, and Anakin had known he could not let Obi-Wan take the way he had himself taken.

They had fought, and it had been hard. One of them had wanted to kill the other; the latter had not wanted his master to kill in anger. Though they had both wanted to fight the dark, both had come to use it in the end.

And Darkness had won.

Both of them had died that day, somehow. Both of them had lost hope and innocence. But it was not too late for one of them.

The fight had been strong, and psychologically more painful than anything they had ever known. Losing a parent was hard. Witnessing your brother lose his soul was even worse. Especially when they had both felt at fault.

Anakin had not wanted to hurt his master, but he had. Only what he had hurt was Obi-Wan's soul. And years later, he had killed him. A sweet revenge, he had thought at the time. Now he saw it more as an unforgivable mistake.

That day on Naboo, Anakin Skywalker had died. He had not killed himself the way he had wanted to, because Obi-Wan had been there and he had wanted to spend some time with his friend. Obi-Wan had almost fallen, but unlike Anakin, he had been strong enough to come back to the Light.

Falling to the Dark Side had been his choice more than his destiny. He saw it now. He had wanted to decide what to do with his life, he had wanted to choose the way he would help the Galaxy to get better. It had been a conscious choice, not one made out of despair. The final fall had been his. Fate was an artificial concept.

He had chosen to use Darkness even when Obi-Wan had been using Light. He had chosen revenge over forgiveness, others' deaths over his own. He had no choice but to face the consequences.

Feeling guilty was just the first step.

Redemption was still out of reach.

Hoping was not an option.

Then what was left ?

You have to live.

__

But I need help!

You will get help in time. Keep your heart open. Light has never left you.

TBC…

Those of you who haven't read the A/N might want to read the second paragraph; it explains what exactly is going on here.

PS: Skippygum, if you ever open that fic, then know that I am not at all who you may think I am. 'S not me, really! Or, erm, maybe it's me, but, err, I'm under the influence of ze Chemise Verte (de la mort qui tue). Tu parles à qui que ce soit IRL de cette fic, et ses pouvoirs psycho-tueurs vont s'abattre sur toi. Capice ? Booon… *regard mauvais*


	6. Chapter 4: Paths

A/N:

Hey. Before all, I want to thank those of you who have kept reading this despite my more than irregular posts. You all deserve an apology. I, erm, am not going to keep writing that fic. Lots of reasons to that, all revolving around my mom who's been ill for months, and the fact that it is getting too trying to worry about so many things at once. I *know* this is really irritating for readers when the author just gives the fic up, but I'm sorry, really! If anyone wants to continue writing, or if you want to use the idea for a new fic altogether, please be my guest =) Just contact me first please, at , or drop me a PM at the JC forum. We can talk a bit about the plot, if you want to? There's this scene with Sagan (remember, the nice Imp from chapter 1?) finding a Naboo history book and looking up at the Anakin Skywalker entry that I'd really love to read some day =)

Sorry about everything, and thank you for your patience! A special hug to LadyZ for being the most fantastic reviewer ever =)

The first part of this chapter is taking place on Endor; I'm afraid there's a time-line problem, this is supposed to take place just after the Endor battle, *before* the Imp shuttle reaches Naboo. Ahem.

The second part is from Luke's point of view, and is normally taking place after chapter 3. Big spoilers for AotC.

****

Safe Again: Chapter 4

Force

They still had to hear from her brother. Although she _knew_, somehow, that he was still alive, she could not help but worry. Last time she had 'felt' him, he had been in pain. Such a pain that it had made her lose contact with her own surroundings long enough to get shot. But she still kept some hope: right after that, all Darkness was gone.

It was a strange experience, really. During the past couple of hours, she had come to realize that all the strange feelings she'd had since she was a girl were real; they came from that flow of energy known as the Force. Ever since she was a young Alderaani princess, she had in a way _known_ whether the people she cared about were safe or in pain. She had always had a thing for 'hearing' others' strong feelings. She had once attributed it to her feminine intuition; unfortunately, now that she knew it was something else, she no longer managed to interpret was those sensations meant.

What had happened to her brother? He had told her he was to try and get Vader back "to the good side". Had he succeeded? Was it why the Darkness was gone? But why had she felt so much pain? Perhaps that was not Luke's pain she had felt after all, but… _his_… right before _he_'d died?

She was scared. Scared to lose her only living family right after she had found him. She wondered if he had done the right thing, telling her they were siblings. Because if she was to lose him now, knowing who he really was would only make things worse.

"Sweetheart?"

She turned around to put her arms around her love. "Has anyone heard from Luke yet?"

A pause. "No. Leia, if he was on that thing when it exploded…"

"He wasn't. Don't say that. He can't…" Her voice broke. "I can't lose him, Han."

She felt him nod against her hair. "You love him. Don't you?"

She said nothing. She was shivering in his arms, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

"I'm sorry Princess. I should have know. I shouldn't have…"

"Han, what are you talking about?" She looked up at him and he saw her tear-rimmed eyes. He brushed her cheek softly with his thumb, looking even more awkward than he'd had at Jabba's, when he was blind.

"I shouldn't have gotten in your way. I'm sorry, Leia."

She stared at him for a long while before understanding came. She buried her face in his chest and sighed softly.

"He is my brother, Han."

"He's your _what_?"

She smiled sadly. "You heard me. My brother. And I didn't know. We didn't even _know_…"

She broke down at last. He held her tightly, patting her head in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "They say many shuttles fled the Death Star before the explosion. Hopefully, he was in one of them…"

She managed to nod. "I'm sure he was, but in what condition? He's been in so much pain… Why isn't he back yet? What's happened to him?"

All around them, people were happy. Soldiers were singing, Ewoks were yubbing in joy. Somewhere among the stars, Anakin Skywalker was looking on his son, wondering how he had been able to cause so much pain to the children of his love.

On that Endor moon, night was falling. The fires lit up among the trees gave the impression that Darkness was being chased away once more. Leia and Han did not join the celebrations. When their friend Lando came to find them and noticed Luke Skywalker's absence, he just sat down by the couple's side.

Some people would say that a friend's life was a price worth paying for a victory.

The end of a war certainly does not always mean the end of suffering. And what they had won was just a battle.

"I'm sure he is still alive, Han," Leia whispered at last. "And I swear I will find him." _I also swear Vader will pay._

*

She was in pain. The woman in his dream, she was in pain. Tortured, probably. But there was more. Her suffering was deeper. She was afraid, apparently. Afraid that she would die without knowing what the little boy with the laughing blue eyes had become. Who was she? There was something oddly familiar with her. She was looking… She was looking a bit like Leia. She was trying to tell him something. _I love…_ I love you? Who was she talking to?

She took her last breath. That was it, she had died in his arms. His own pain was terrible. It was too much to bear. So he did the only thing he could think of. He destroyed those who had done that.

A different place, a different time. The fear was similar, though. Someone wanted to destroy one he cared for. There was hardly any light again. As if the suns refused to witness such a scene. He would not let… Obi-Wan? …die as his mother had. Was it Obi-Wan? He looked so young! But his presence… It was him all right, but different. Less sad. Less bitter. He had not realized that Obi-Wan was a sad and bitter man before.

He jumped. He ignored his own pain and jumped to save his friend, his father. The blow was deflected. He started fighting. He was too slow, hurting too much. He did not see the blade. And a tearing pain went right through his arm.

Now _that_ was familiar. The cry of anguish, the smell of burnt flesh. He fell to the floor.

Was it over yet? He could not stand any more pain, not now. But he could not die. He didn't know if _she_ was alright.

She had fallen off the ship. He had wanted to come to her help, but instead he had come to understand that this was not what she wanted him to do. He had to keep on, for her.

It was not all dark anymore. There were flashes of light here and there. Some kind of a strange danced fight. Then he saw something dark and huge falling towards him, and…

… And he realized the dream was not his.

He felt a hand brushing away a strand of his hair, and he opened his eyes. A woman was standing above him. She too looked somehow familiar. She too looked a bit like Leia, but in a different way. He could see a bit of himself in her face as well. Was she…?

"Mother?"

__

TBC?


	7. Note

**06/2005:** _Safe Again_ is likely to come back to life soon. Revision is under way before the story is handed over to another author. Please check back in a couple of weeks!


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